Archive for December, 2011

Matthew Bourne studied an MA in Fine Art at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 – 1992 and now lives in Derbyshire. His work is derived from and inspired by sight, sound and emotion from the real world and his belief that painting is a timeless, emotive and transcendental means of expression.

“I believe the process of painting is integral to its content and the quality of foremost importance. I aim to set up a tension in my paintings between spontaneity and risk and more measured controlled approach. Within this approach I strive to create paintings that have the right balance in mood, light, texture, brushwork, placement,incident and structure.

To flick, smudge, pour, spray, spread, rub, splat, squeeze, draw, drag, scribble and dribble in order to create tough, uncompromising paintings which carry the weight of art history and relate to people on many levels. I hope my painting will keep evolving. Exactly where it is hard to say because so much comes from within the painting. Perhaps I will see something or some accident happen which will send me in a new direction.”

Two more fantastic unique artists featured in our exciting Christmas Affordable Art Market. Both unique in their own way, Helena-A.Reut creates beautiful paitings full of character whilst Irena Wilmott uses the medium of fabric to create her work.

Helena-A Reut

Helena explores the sacred in art drawing inspiration from a rich heritage of themes – biblical scenes, myths and fables, the medieval period, the Fayum portraits, and difficult questions about the roots of the Slavic peoples – themes related to the art of bygone ages and the spirits of those times. The techniques used by those artists also fascinate her, who’s methods she tries to employ and re-interpret in her own work.

To see more of Helena’s work, available to buy, at http://i2popupgallery.com/artist/i2-Art/category/84/AFFORDABLE-ART-MARKET-Helena-A-Reut.html

Irena Willmott

Irena studied for a City and Guilds Certificate in Patchwork and Quilting at Westhope College, Shropshire. Then 8 years ago Irena went on her first felt-making course where she found that she could fully explore her love of colour and texture in a creatively experimental and painterly way. Inspiration comes mainly from the woodcuts and prints of Japan that combine an attention to detail, simplicity and strong composition, with particular reference to landscape and water. The versatility of the medium enables Irena to undertake an artistic exploration of emotions and ideas.

Rhoda Slapp began painting botanical subjects after joining a part-time art course at Wensum Lodge in Norwich. She has always lived in the Norfolk countryside and enjoys painting the familiar plants and butterflies that are found in her garden.

“Watercolours are, for me, the perfect medium as it allows for a wide range of colour strengths and tones, accurately recording the subjects from the delicate sweet pea to the robust texture of a squash. It allows broad washes, dry brush strokes and fine detailing in each painting as I see it.”

Rhoda says there is never “nothing to paint” in the botanical world and the more time taken to look in depth at event humblest of acorns, the more another wonderful world emerges.

Stephen’s wonderful paintings are currently part of our Christmas Affordable Art Market, why don’t you pop in and have a browse? His work is full of expressive form and lustrous colour, the life and vibrancy of nature.

“My style of work is based on close observation and knowledge of garden plants and flowers, developed increasingly through ‘improvisations on the theme’. Once the initial image is drawn out and the ground laid down, forms are manipulated, repeatedly obscured and revealed as multiple glazes are employed to achieve a sumptuous and decorative end result. The effect of light is particularly important in my work – a particular favourite being what I think of as ‘minor key light’ where plants are lit up by strong sunshine against a stormy sky”.

Stephen Clary’s painting continues to evolve as he works on series of pieces. he first began the sunflower series inspired by travels through the Basque country of France and Spain. Other series in progress are ‘Hanging Baskets’ and ‘Autumn Leaves’. He is planning a set of Lilies.

Stephen is based in rural Norfolk, living with his wife and dogs in a small cottage set in a third of an acre, in the Norfolk Broads. He works in the garden when the weather is suitable and in his studio. All of his canvasses are painted in acrylic, while he may use ink, watercolour, pastel and gold leaf in his work on paper.

A Fine Art graduate from Norwich School of Art and Design, Brigitte specialises in large ‘one off’ original screen prints. Her vibrant works explore the use of colour, shape and mark to create mood, atmosphere and currents of energy. Brigitte’s work is essentially a poetic aesthetic, inviting the viewers to a sensory response. The work draws on Brigitte’s own life experiences.

“ My inspiration is drawn from wide-ranging sources – a response to my current environment, human relationships and memories of beautiful and seductive foreign locations. All are combined to produce works which embody complex subjective emotions, perceptions and sensations. Colour, shape and mark are juxtaposed to evoke space and current of energy, inviting the viewer to a sensory response.”

However, Brigitte believes the response to an artwork is an intensely personal experience and hopes that the viewer will find their own point of aesthetic contemplation, or emotional reflection.

Brigitte has sold to both corporate and individual clients and has work held in private and academic collections including California State University, USA and Asagaya College of Arts, Tokyo. She has recently had work selected for new developments in London and Birmingham, with another recent sale going to a new home in Malaysia. She has exhibited widely, in London and especially Norfolk.

Heather Zeale descibes her life as one of routine, a lovely routine that ebbs and flows around her family. Her current work explores this routine and the repetition of tasks and chores that have been done thousands of times. The endless, reassuring repetition of daily life is reflected in her work with the extensive use of hand stitching. This simple, labour intensive technique is a welcome retreat from the hectic running around that is family life.

“At present I am really inspired by the everyday things that surround me, I try to capture everything in the sketchbooks, lists and notebooks that my life revolves around. These lists and notebooks make sure that homework is done; important things are not forgotten and allow me to record all the things that catch my eye. Most recently I have used print and stitch to recreate pages from my sketchbook. Creating an illustrative collection of work that is a celebration of everyday life.”

The work Heather is exhibiting here explores the routines and rhythms of everyday, her inspiration still coming particularly from lists, tickets, cutlery and birds in the garden. Wax, paper, thread and material all feature in Heather’s work.

Award winning photographer and Associate Member of the Royal Photographic Society, Jurgen Dabeedin is inspired by the hidden beauty in everyday life. He revisits familiar views, revealing them through elemental forms, deep hues and symmetry. His atmospheric images stir memories in time and space, of places seen and those yet to be discovered…

Sula is currently part of our Christmas Affordable Art Market, please feel free to pop in and browse!

Since graduating from St. Martin’s School of Art in 1989, Sula Rubens has lived, painted and exhibited in many countries (including Holland, France, Poland, Spain, Greece and Ireland.) Her work is represented in public and private collections in this country and abroad, including the Leicestershire Collection for Schools and Colleges and the Town Council of Amsterdam. Prizes include the Winsor and Newton Young Artist Award and the Anna Airy Memorial Award.

A remarkable feature of her practice is her use of everyday objects such as photographs, stamps, labels, scraps of wallpaper or floor lino as well as drawings. Sometimes these items are incorporated in a work as collage. Other times they suggest elements of her environment, the Suffolk coastline, where she has lived and worked since 1999. This coast, with its tides, erosions, reed marshes, ships and the everchanging light has a strong presence in her work.

She gradually builds up the paintings and drawings in layers, using a wide variety of media: oil paint, graphite, soft pastel, charcoal, collage and printmaking techniques. Often the etchings incorporate the chine colle technique.

See more of Sula’s work, available to buy, at http://i2popupgallery.com/artist/i2-Art/category/92/AFFORDABLE-ART-MARKET-Sula-Rubens.html

Currently exhibiting in our Christmas Affordable Art Market, pop in and see for yourself!

Gilly Marklew graduated from Leeds Polytechnic with a degree in graphic design in 1981, and embarked on a career as a freelance illustrator, working first in London in the magazine publishing business, then in Cromford, Derbyshire, at the Arkwright mill museum, where Gilly’s illustrations can still be seen on the information boards. In 2004 Gilly became an adult education tutor and moved to Bassingbourn near Royston, and still runs regular classes in watercolour and drawing, in and around Cambridge.

It wasn’t until 2009 that Gilly began painting watercolours for open exhibitions, and on the first attempt won Most Popular Painting Award two seasons in a row, at the Cambridge Drawing Society. In 2010 Gilly submitted to the Royal Watercolour Society at The Bankside Gallery in London, and was accepted. A few months later she exhibited at The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour annual open show at the Mall Galleries in London and won the Ranelagh Press award.

In the autumn of 2010, Gilly exhibited at The East Anglia Watercolour Society Open show won the St. Cuthberts Mill award, and in spring 2011 her work was accepted again at the Royal Watercolour Society show at Bankside.

See more of Gilly’s work, available to buy, at http://i2popupgallery.com/artist/i2-Art/category/70/AFFORDABLE-ART-MARKET-Gilly-Marklew.html

Two of our favourite artists, glass artist Althea Braithwaite and painter Anji Jackson-Main, have been kind enough to let us exhibit their work again as part of our Christmas Affordable Art Market.

Althea Braithwaite

Althea Braithwaite is a glass artist and children’s book writer who started the publishing company Dinosaur publications. In the autumn of 2003 Althea acquired a kiln and started another venture, working with glass, fusing and slumping it to make dishes, as well as making fused glass windows on commission. It has quickly become an obsession.“For the last few years I’ve immersed myself in the joy, delight and creative potential of the wonderful medium of glass. I use fusing techniques to manipulate shadows and reflections and to exploit the amazing palette of colours that glass offers.”

See more of Althea’s work, available to buy, at http://i2popupgallery.com/artist/i2-Art/category/68/AFFORDABLE-ART-MARKET-Althea-Braithwaite.html

Anji Jackson-Main

In the 70s Anji Jackson-Main studied painting and film making at Sheffield College of Art. Since then she trained as a dancer, teacher and choreographer, founding a dance and performance company and directing several dance theatre shows. In 2008 Anji graduated from Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, with a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art. Since graduating she has worked as a painter, presenting her first solo exhibition at the New Hall Art Collection in 2009, and as a curator, notably co-curating the post-humus exhibition of the paintings of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, at the Ruskin Gallery in Cambridge, 2008. She is currently studying for the MFA in Fine Art.

See more of Anji’s work, available to buy, at http://i2popupgallery.com/artist/i2-Art/category/67/AFFORDABLE-ART-MARKET-Anji-Jackson-Main.html